Loving You Forever
Chapter 2- Chicken
"What's wrong with you? He wanted to talk!" Caleb yelled once we were outside.
"Babe leave her alon-"
"No McKenna, Sophie needs a man in her life." Caleb said as he stomped to the car. "Sophie, he looked like he really wanted to get to know you. If not in a relationship, than in a friendship."
"Caleb, just leave it." I said as I climbed into the back of his car.
Why does he always have to be right? That night we all ended up in Caleb's room watching The Hangover. I found a seat on the floor next to McKenna, but then Jonathon sat down on the other side of me. By the end of the movie, McKenna was on-top of Caleb, madly kissing him, as was Alana with Eli. I sighed then stood up and walked out to Caleb's balcony. Not five minutes later, Jonathon came out and sat next to me.
"Are you okay?" He asked after an awkward silence.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Just got a little hot in there." I said flatly.
"Why do you do this?" He asked suddenly.
"Do what?" I answered back gravely.
"Push people away. Every time I ask you something you say something back but it only includes a word or two."
"Have you ever thought that I didn't want to talk at the moment?"
He looked at me and chuckled then shook his head.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Just the way you hold yourself. And present yourself to other people. I really just want to be friends, Sophie. I don't know why you are doing this. It's actually quite charming."
I looked at him like he was losing it, "You think my attitude is attractive?"
"Sure." He said shrugging. Then he gave me smile. What is that warm feeling in the pit of my stomach? Please don't say that's what they call butterflies and contentment. "I just think it's funny. All I want is to be friends, I don't need a girlfriend. I already have one. I just don't get why you put yourself out into the world the way you do. You seem like a funny girl."
He lost me at the whole "I already have a girlfriend." thing. Well that's just wonderful. Another friend, like I really need another one of those.
McKenna walked out onto the balcony then. "Hey Sophie where is your room key? I need to go get something from my dresser."
I rolled my eyes, not really wanting to know what she was picking up. I tossed my keys to her and she left me with the 'taken' man sitting before me.
"Well I guess it's a good thing." I said back to him.
"What's a good thing?"
"That you already have a girlfriend. That way I know you aren't flirting with me."
"There is something called cheating you know. Haven't you heard of it?" He said with a smirk.
As the night wore on, everyone went to their rooms. The next day Caleb and I walked out to the pool, Ken was finishing up an essay that was due in three days.
"I think Jonathon likes you." Caleb said as he swam laps next to me on a kickboard.
"Jonathon has a girlfriend. I doubt he really wants anything to do with me, as I don't with him." I said as I pushed my kickboard aside and swam forcefully for the next two hours.
Around lunchtime Caleb said Ken and Alana were coming down. Great that means Eli and Mr. I-already-have-a-girlfriend are coming too.
I sat in my itty bitty bikini on one of the lay-out chairs and read a magazine. I heard Caleb talking to me but I didn't feel like listening to him.
Once Ken and Alana got to the pool Caleb was eager to get me in the pool with everyone. I looked at him and shot up my middle finger.
"Aww, little sister. Don't be such an ass." He said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, c'mon Sophie! The water's great!" McKenna said as she clung onto Caleb's back.
"Fine." I said flatly. I stood up dropping my towel and took me shirt off over my head. I heard someone whistle at the other side of the pool and looked over.
"My my you look finnneee." Jake said as he swam over to the side of the pool and reached his arms out for me.
Jake and I have been friends since freshman year. He doesn't like McKenna too much, so he hangs out outside our little group, but sometimes we try studying together in the library.
I let Jake wrap his giant arms around my petit frame and lift me into the water. I clung onto him, not from fear of falling of course, but from the coldness of the water.
"Sophie it's not that cold." He said chuckling.
"You know it's cold." I said as I lightly kicked my legs back and forth in the water.
"So who's your new boyfriend?" he whispered in my ear as he twirled me around in circles.
"What are you talking about?" I asked then looked in the direction he was looking at. Jonathon was staring at Jake like he was about ready to kill him. What a freak. "Oh, that's some new guy I just met yesterday. He's friends with Ken and Caleb."
"Well he looks mighty jealous that I get to hold you." He said laughing as he dunked us under the water.
Once we came back above the water and I spit the remaining water from my mouth in his face, I told him "He has a girlfriend. He shouldn't even be looking over at me."
"Well you wanna make him even more jealous?" He asked with a big goofy grin.
"Sure…" I said unsure about what he was going to do.
He grinned at me then turned me so my legs wrapped around his waist, then he hungrily kissed my lips. Nothing happened. No sparks, no nothing. Of course I know he was just playing around with Jonathon, but you would think SOMETHING would happen.
I kissed him back and once I did, he lifted me to the side of the pool and kissed down my neck. I laughed then pushed him away. He looked confused and I grinned at him then wildly attacked him, making us both go to the pools floor.
Once we were above water I laughed then swam back to Caleb and the crew. Jake made his way to his friends and then left the pool with their towels.
"Looks like Jake's into you." McKenna said smirking. "We all just witnessed your little make-out session."
"Jake is just a friend, nothing more." I said as I leaned against one of the walls.
"Doesn't look like it." I heard Jonathon mumble.
"Hey, let's play chicken!" Caleb said as he lifted a giggling McKenna to his shoulders.
"Yeah, I haven't played this game in forever!" Alana said as she climbed onto Eli's shoulders with a huge smile.
"Well I don't have a partner, so I will just sit out." I said as I started getting out of the water.
"Oh no baby sister, Jonathon can manage to hold a 110 pound girl on his shoulders. You are going to play too." Caleb said.
I frowned at him then turned to Jonathon. He held out his hand, which I took lightly, then he went under the water and helped me climb onto his massive muscled shoulders. He took both my hands, steadied me then let go and held my legs around his back.
"I'm not as light as it looks you know." I said to him and he chuckled.
"You're as light as a pillow. Don't shed a worry." He said as he began moving towards Eli and Alana.
"Hey! It's your as light as a feather, not a pillow! Are you implying that I'm fat?"
He laughed. "Of course not." He said sarcastically.
I kicked him gut playfully, "Jerk." I mumbled.
We played chicken for an hour, and then McKenna and Caleb complained that they were hungry and wanted to go get some lunch. Alana and McKenna proceeded out of the water, followed by Eli and Caleb, and then Alana and McKenna looked at me.
"You coming, Soph?" Ken asked as she collected her towel and sun-tan lotion.
"I will be up there in a minute. You can shower first." I said as I laced my fingers through the water.
"Okay girl." She said before the whole group left. Once again, I laced my fingers through the water then decided to get up and dry off.
As I was doing so, Jonathon walked next to me and sat his stuff right next to mine, "Is that your boyfriend?" He asked suddenly.
"Who? Jake? No, we're just best friends." I said as I packed up all my stuff.
"Best friends that…kiss?" He asked confused.
I laughed, "Why are you so interested? You said yourself that you had a girlfriend."
"Yeah, I did." He said flatly.
"Then, you shouldn't be jealous, or whatever your feeling." I said as I wrapped my towel around my waist and pulled my t-shirt over my head.
"I'm not jealous." He said as he looked down and began putting his stuff away.
"Well that's good, friend." I said winking at him then walking upstairs to my room to get ready for lunch.
For lunch, we ate on campus. There is a cute little sub shop a couple blocks away from the dorms, so we all walked.
"So do you have a boyfriend?" Alana asked as I walked next to her.
"Nope." I said with a smile.
"Aww, why not?" She said with true curiosity.
"I just don't want one, nor do I have the time." I said back truthfully.
"Oh, well maybe you and Jonathon could hang out. Since you're both single." She said with a smile.
WHAT? Single? I looked over at him and he was talking with Caleb. What a liar! Oh, he's done for.
Once we got to the shop we all ordered our food and sat down. Jonathon sat next to me and I glared at him.
"What? Were you saving this for your friend with benefits?" He asked smartly.
"No! I just don't want to sit next to a liar! Alana said you were single!"
"As of today. My girlfriend just got pregnant with some dude from her college." He said as he sat down with his food, "So don't you think it's a good reason to leave her?" He said back.
Instantly, I felt bad. It sounded like he and his girlfriend have been having problems, and I was giving him nothing; just a sassy attitude that nobody wanted to deal with.
"I'm sorry, Jonathon." I said as I looked down at my food.
"It's alright." He said back flatly.
After lunch we all went to a movie, but I decided to skip the movie and head back to the pool. The feeling of the water reminded me of home, and it just felt like the perfect place to think things through. After slipping my suit on, I grabbed my pool bag and headed down to the pool. I slipped in after a graceful dive. Not ten minutes later, some lifeguard came out and told me to get out because they had to redo some chlorine balance.
The next few months really changed my life. Jonathon and I are best friends- I know, odd. We spend every waking minute together, watching movies, laughing and joking with each other, and just being happy to have the other person there with you. Next week is spring break, and Caleb and I sat down to call Mom and Dad when Jonathon and Eli walked in Caleb's room.
"Hey guys, next week our parents are heading up to Maine. You want to come down to the house and just party for the weekend?" Eli asked.
Caleb looked at me and shrugged, "Sounds fun to me. We have to call our parents and tell them that this year we aren't going to Arizona for the family reunion though."
"Alright, well why don't in an hour we all meet in the common room?"
"Okay." Caleb and I said at the same time.
They left and we called our parents. They wished us a fun week and to be safe and responsible. We rolled our eyes at that, just like every kid does with their parents.